Haberdashery Items

Introduction From Michelle

When given the task to design a sewing mat, I knew all the things it had to have… I didn’t want anything hanging over my legs, so I knew my pockets would have to be to one side. Plus, I wanted it to have an extra trim at the front, to give it a smart finish, and to help it stay put. My sewing table was given to me by my 100-year-old nan (my best friend) when she passed away, I love the blue, so I also wanted to use the blue in this gorgeous fabric bundle for the binding.

Baste these pieces together to create a quilt sandwich, trim a 1” curve from each corner.

Using your heat erasable marker pen, draw diagonal lines, 2” apart.

Change your stitch length to 4.0 and quilt along these lines, using the red Gutermann thread.

To make the binding, take the fat quarter of Blue with white polka dots, and cut 2” strips along the bias. Join these strips together. Press in half, open out and press each half to the centre. Sew to your main mat, using the Blue Gutermann thread, along three sides (see photo for placement), leaving an extra inch of binding at the beginning and end, un sewn.

To make the trim, cut two pieces of your chosen fabric from your Cotswolds bundle to measure 4.5” x 23” each and a piece of fusible wadding the same.

Fold one strip of fabric in half, draw a line 8.5” long and 2” from the top, starting from the fold
Using a circle template, draw a curve from the end of the line to meet the wider edge. Repeat this on the other piece of fabric and wadding, this time use the first piece as your template.

Baste together, trim the corners and add your binding as before

Creating The Pocket Panel

To make the pocket cut;
Two pieces of fabric and a piece of wadding for each of the three measurements below
12.5” x 8.5”
9.5” x 3.5”
8.5” x 5.5”

Baste each size together.
Take the largest piece and cut a curve by marking a point at 6 ¼” from left bottom corner to top, and 3 ¼” along the bottom edge. (I used a plate to create my curve)

Lay the other pieces on top, flip over and use the curve as a template

Add binding, in the same way as before, start by adding to the top of the smallest pocket, then along the top and right-hand side of the medium pocket.

Using the red Gutermann thread, sew vertical lines to create the pockets, by placing the two smallest pockets on top of each other. Hand sew using a ladder stitch, the binding on the right hand side of the medium pocket to the main pocket. Add binding along all edges, apart from the top.

Attaching The Pockets To The Mat

Lay the main sewing mat faced down, as lay the pocket faced up, sew together using ¼” seam allowance, repeat this process for the trim.

Add binding along this raw edge, this will allow the trim to hang over the edge of the sewing table and prevent it from moving.